Finnish Security Grab Knife-Carrying Man at Katainen Rally

Finnish secret service apprehended a
man with a knife at a rally held by Prime Minister Jyrki Katainen ahead of municipal elections on Oct. 28.

The premier, 41, wasn’t harmed in the incident in Turku,
western Finland, and the perpetrator was taken into custody, the
government said in a statement today.

“Security guards have apprehended a person who brought a
blade to the minister’s election event in Turku,” according to
the statement. “The Prime Minister was unharmed in the incident
and will resume his work normally.”

A young, dishevelled man approached the premier pleading
for help, before falling to his knees and bringing out a knife
while saying something about killing, newspaper
Hufvudstadsbladet reported, citing Robert Seger, a photographer
on the scene. The man was dragged away by the body guards as
Katainen was also removed from the scene.

Katainen has led the northernmost euro member since June
last year as head of a six-party coalition. He has cut spending
and raised taxes to trim deficits as Europe’s debt crisis weighs
on growth and unemployment. Katainen has also taking the lead in
trying to overcome skepticism at home to bailing out fellow euro
members.

He has been head of the National Coalition, Finland’s
largest party, since 2004. He’s married and has two children.